A Jargon Free Anatomy of a Creative Brief
Kati Byrne
Chief Project Officer available for contract work. A senior project management consultant with a passion for cold water swimming, emerging tech, process consultancy for agencies and SMEs.
Briefs can be big or small, loose or tight. OK, we’re not talking about your underwear here, we’re examining the main elements that make up a creative brief, how to make it the touchstone for your creative project, and what your Unique Super Power is all about.
A creative brief is a document that can be shared between the team and the client to capture the essence of your idea and how to make it great. It can be short or long, but its main purpose it to focus your thinking and make sure everyone involved understands the project and its purpose. You’ve heard the expression, ‘make sure everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet’, well this is the hymn sheet, and also the musical score.
Who Should Write It?
Some people believe this is solely down to the client, others solely down to the creative agency. A good creative brief should be a collaborative effort, which nails down the purpose of the relationship and what exactly the collaboration should bring in terms of results. As it is a touchstone of the creative project, it makes sense to spend time and effort on it and involve key decision makers in the project to make sure it fits with the vision.
What Is Its Purpose?
A good brief should be inspirational, it should open the door to creative possibilities, it should filter noise and distill information, and allow you to examine the efficacy of your idea in a structured way. It shouldn’t contain marketing babble, and it shouldn’t tend towards information overload, it should instead present a concise solution to a problem if possible.
What Format Should It Be In?
There are many templates on the web, some are bold and bright, some are minimalist. You can use Word, Google Docs, or make it all graphical and colourful, as long as it doesn’t detract from the information, and is easily editable. What it should not be is overly long, a couple of pages is good, a couple of dozen pages is not.
What Should It Contain?
This is the big question, and while each creative project is different, there are some main areas that can be found in most creative briefs.